Lester struggles in loss to White Sox

BOSTON — Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Quentin each had a pair of RBIs in a four-run sixth inning as the Chicago White Sox snapped Jon Lester's seven-game winning streak and beat the Boston Red Sox 7-3 on Monday night.

Paul Konerko added a solo homer for the White Sox, who halted a three-game losing skid and won for the 11th time in their last 13 games against the Red Sox.

Adrian Gonzalez hit a solo homer for Boston, which lost its second straight but only its fourth in its last 17 games.

Jake Peavy (2-0), making just his fourth start after working back from season-ending right shoulder surgery last July, held Boston to three runs, six hits, striking out two and not walking anyone over seven innings on the eve of his 30th birthday.

Jesse Crain got two outs, but was hit on the side by Gonzalez's hard grounder, and Matt Thornton recorded the final four outs.

With the score tied at 3 in the sixth, Chicago chased Lester (7-2) with four runs. Alex Rios and Gordon Beckham, back in the lineup after missing the previous two games after getting hit below the left eye with a relay throw, singled. Juan Pierre walked to load the bases before Ramirez's bloop fell in behind first baseman Gonzalez for a two-run double. Dan Wheeler relieved and Quentin singled in two more, making it 7-3.

Lester gave up seven runs, eight hits, walked and struck out four apiece in 5 2-3 innings, halting his eight-game unbeaten stretch. He gave up eight runs in his only career start against the White Sox last season.

Chicago had increased its lead to 3-1 in the third when Konerko homered off an advertisement above the Green Monster seats before Boston tied it with two runs in the bottom of the inning. It was his 376th career homer, tying him for 66th all-time with former White Sox and Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk, who was in Fenway Park and shown on the center field video board as a one of Boston's legends.

Dustin Pedroia's two-run single tied the game. The former AL MVP had been just 3 for 30 with three RBIs with runners in scoring position and less than two outs.

The White Sox had grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first. Ramirez singled and Quentin was hit by a pitch, the first of two times that Lester hit him in the game. After Konerko singled to load the bases, A.J. Pierzynski drove in a pair with a single up the middle.

Gonzalez homered into the White Sox bullpen to cut it to 2-1 in the bottom of the inning.

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